To be fair, her Democratic opponent this fall, state Sen. Tarryl Clark has matched Bachmann’s 2008 spending level by $28,400. And on Oct. 13, the date of the most recent campaign finance reports, Clark still had $614,200 in reserves.

Voters in Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District backed Republican John McCain in the 2008 presidential race by 9 percentage points and supported George W. Bush’s reelection bid by 14 percentage points in 2004. Nevertheless, some Democrats have fared well in the area. For instance, Democrat Amy Klobuchar carried the district’s voters in her 2006 U.S. Senate campaign. That year, Bachmann was elected by an 8-point margin, although she only won 50 percent of the vote. A third-party candidate made up the difference. And in 2008, Bachmann won by only a 3-point margin, 46.4 percent of the vote to 43.4 percent, with a third-party candidate garnering 10 percent.

Here’s the full top 20 list, according to a Center for Responsive Politics review of campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission:

Name

PAC Name

Total Raised

Mitt Romney (R)

Free & Strong America PAC

$8,432,567

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.)

Senate Conservatives Fund

$7,210,002

Sarah Palin (R)

SarahPAC

$4,940,818

Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.)

Every Republican is Crucial PAC

$3,669,964

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R)

Freedom First PAC

$3,177,403

Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio)

Freedom Project

$2,938,888

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md)

AmeriPAC: The Fund for a Greater America

$2,721,018

ex-Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.)

America’s Foundation

$2,449,084

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)

Country First PAC

$2,127,063

ex-Gov. Mike Huckabee (R)

Huck PAC

$1,643,597

Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.)

BRIDGE PAC

$1,532,676

Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.)

House Conservatives Fund

$1,437,343

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.)

Forward Together PAC

$1,393,142

Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.)

Midwest Values PAC

$1,266,029

Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.)

Defend America PAC

$1,252,723

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.)

Majority Committee PAC

$1,169,733

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.)

Senate Majority Fund

$1,087,902

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)

PAC to the Future

$1,072,239

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)

Bluegrass Committee

$1,028,393

Gov. Haley Barbour (R-Miss.)

Haley’s PAC

$963,638

LARGEST INDEPENDENT EXPENDITURE OF THE WEEKEND: Over the weekend, the Republican Party of Michigan dropped $1.06 million on last-minute independent expenditures in an attempt to help bolster Republicans in four districts in Wolverine State — the most of any group, according to a Center for Responsive Politics review of campaign finance filings.

Those districts targeted by the Michigan GOP were: the 1st, 7th, 9th and 15th Congressional Districts.

Michigan’s 7th Congressional District is rated by political observers as a true toss up, with either the Democrat or Republican candidate having a shot at winning. In this district, Republican Tim Walberg is vying for his old seat against freshman Rep. Mark Schauer (D-Mich.), who narrowly defeated Walberg in 2008.

In Michigan’s 9th Congressional District, freshman Rep. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) has out-raised, out-spent and had more money in the bank in the campaign’s home stretch than his Republican challenger Andrew Raczkowski. Political handicappers give a slight edge to Peters in tomorrow’s election.

The longest serving member of the U.S. House, Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), who is in his 28th term, represents Michigan’s 15th Congressional District. Despite being in what is considered a safe seat, Dingell has raised $1.68 million and spent $1.74 million on his re-election efforts as of mid-October, when the most recent campaign finance reports were filed. Dingell’s Republican challenger is Robert Steele, who reported raising just $4 for every $10 Dingell had raised through mid-October.

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